It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes I come across a book that I just don’t love even though I really wanted to! The description of both of these books sounded promising, but in the end for me it was kind of a disappointment. To find out why, keep on reading.

*WARNING: These books are pretty violent and dark in some moments.*

Cover

I actually think the cover is pretty! I love that you don’t see their faces and that the butterfly is present on the front. The cover doesn’t really give any clues about the story. At least I don’t think so.

Plot

Okay, I know I read the warnings about violence and such, but it was a lot different than I expected. Rylee is kidnapped, because of her father’s gambling issues. She is taken to Mason’s family’s house. There she is exposed to things and threats I wasn’t completely comfortable with. I almost stopped reading to be honest. The only reason I continued was because said event didn’t happen.
Mason has a really messed up childhood and adult life. His father is cruel and that is how he was raised to be. Part of him gets that he isn’t doing the right thing, but the fear of his father and brother keeps him going. When he finds out certain things aren’t like his dad told him, he has had enough. That on top of actually caring for Rylee makes him make a change of plans. I can’t get too much into it without giving spoilers, but this is a pretty eventful book. The writer knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat and describe the emotions they are feeling pretty well. I love that the chapters switch between Rylee and Mason, so you learn about his deep, dark secrets as well. The end of the story was a bit too happily ever after, not because it ended well, but how fast Rylee accepted things and how everything was all okay. I read this book pretty fast and kind of hope how a few characters end up after some time has passed.

Characters

Rylee is a writer and I liked that. Of course as a lover of books a writer is always a good character to me, haha. She didn’t have luck with what her Dad is like, so she ends up in a situation she wasn’t expecting. I like that even though she is scared and has no clue what is going to happen she stays feisty in the beginning. Eventually she decided to cooperate partially to keep a new made friend alive. I thought that was rather selfless. How she got over so much in such little time in the end didn’t seem very realistic to me. Or the fact that during the whole event she decides on a whole new career.

I actually felt bad for Mason. I mean, no one asks for a family like that! He knows what’s going on is wrong, but it’s just his family’s business. He does grow in this book and tries to go his own way whatever it may cost, even his own life. I guess he just doesn’t know what normal is.

There’s not really much more I can say about this book without spoiling the story. I’m sure there are people who will love this book and like I said the writer knows how to keep  you on the edge of your seat, but I guess I’m just not into this kind of thing,

Cover

I like that the author kept to the theme of the book before this.Once again we can’t see the face clearly and the wings are the things that catch your eyes.

Plot

I had a lot of hope for this book. After reading Fighting the Dark and how that ended, I was happy to read about Dan. He was my favorite character from the last book and one of the more “normal” ones and I thought he deserved a happily ever after. I liked Mallory and Carter and how he bonded with Dan and Loki.
To a certain point this book disappointed me though. It was rather predictable who Carter’s father was going to turn out to be and that he would be the reason things went wrong in this book. Don’t get me wrong, of course there has to be a bit of excitement, but I would have rather seen something happen with an assignment at the security company then have it go back to his past and make them turn to so much violence again. I almost stopped reading Fighting the Dark because of certain events and I think I would have enjoyed it more had they gotten further away from their past than getting pulled back under. Luckily, the kid was never really hurt. That would’ve made me stop reading right away.

Characters

Mallory is a protective mother and has decided she needs to do what she can for her little boy. Even though that means that she lives in a less than safe neighborhood and works times that don’t always work out. She knows that this is only a step to get by and build on her future. When she meets Dan at the park, she isn’t expecting it to turn in to something more. I like that she is careful in the beginning, making sure that Carter comes first. Even when things go wrong she stays feisty. I have to say that once again I thought certain things were unrealistic and that she accepted parts of Dan’s past without question was rather rare.

Dan is the caring guy I expected when it comes to Mallory and Carter. Even though he’s not exactly used to being that way, he is very protective. He even names his dog Loki, haha. That gave him points in my book! When things went wrong he was quick to turn to his old ways and while I understand that he didn’t know much else during most of his life, he went through so much he should’ve changed his ways!

All in all I guess that these books just weren’t for me. While they had some interesting parts and I liked a few of the characters it was just a bit too dark!